Us Against The World
by ThinksInWords
Summary: ON HIATUS What if he wasn’t alone? What if there was a reason for him to stay? What if it had been Mac and Cassidy against the world all along? What if Cassidy never needed to turn into Beaver? AU: Follows the show. MacCass. M for themes
1. Prologue

Us Against The World

Summary: What if he wasn't alone? What if there was a reason for him to stay? What if it had been Mac and Cassidy against the world all along? What if Cassidy never needed to turn into Beaver? AU: Follows the show. MacCass. M for content

Disclaimer: The genius that is RT owns everything, except for this idea.

AN: I know, update my DMHG story. Working on it. This huge plot bunny came along

**Prologue: Cassidy in seventh grade**

He doesn't like to be touched. It reminds him of brown eyes, baseball caps and soft hands touching him in places where they really shouldn't be touching him. It makes him feel so dirty, so incredibly filthy that he stays in the shower for hours, trying to get rid of the feeling of his hands on his skin. And it does not work, oh God, it does not work. No matter how hard he tries to forget about it all, it only comes back to him in his nightmares. Every time he closes his eyes, or every time someone tries to touch him, he gets the flashbacks and he abruptly jerks away from whoever it is. Forgetting it does not work.

And nobody knows about it, and nobody even cares about it. His father is too busy running some kind of real estate scam, as usual, too busy to even think about his youngest sun, but not too busy to hang out with Dick. His brother Dick only has time for him if his friends don't come through, and there is no one else to hang out with. He is always a last resort.

He hopes that one day the memories will fade a little, but he knows that will not happen. He hopes that one day he will not be a last resort anymore, but he knows that he can never let anyone get close enough to him for that to happen. He will always be like this; alone.

So when the nice girl with the colored streaks in her hair comes over to him and asks him something, he could not have been more surprised. He thought nobody wanted to talk to him; thought that everyone considered him to be some kind of freak. Apparently he was wrong about that. There are people who want to talk to him after all, and it is nice.

"Excuse me, but do you know who Dick Casablancas is?"

Of course, it is just about his brother again. The only reason girls would ever talk to him; his brother. Dick is probably right in seeing himself as a chick magnet all along. He doesn't get why Dick would want to be so close to girls, but then again, Dick never played Little League.

"Who are you and what do you need my brother for?"

He does not mean to sound so hostile, but he has no idea how to act around girls. He has no idea how to act period. He does not understand why everyone can act so normal, why everyone can act like nothing is wrong, even though there are so many things wrong.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Cindy, but everyone calls me Mac."

He finds it interesting to hear that she has a nickname too, like him. Only, her nickname is a lot more friendly. He absolutely despises his nickname, and yet nobody bothers to stop using it and call him by his real name. They just continue calling him Beaver instead of Cassidy.

"I'm Cassidy Casablancas, brother of Dick, but everyone just calls me Beaver."

He says his nickname with obvious distaste, with the same distaste he felt when – no, he cannot think about that again. He has to stay far away from that subject, even though he cannot get his father to get him to stop playing baseball. His father thinks the sport is healthy and therefore good for him. He doesn't really consider what happens healthy.

"Well, Cassidy, somebody partnered me with your brother in English, since I missed a class last week because I had the flu. Do you know how I can reach your brother?"

He feels sorry for this girl, he really does. Having to work with his brother on a project. He hopes she is smart enough to get a decent grade, because he knows Dick is just going to slack off again, leaving her to do the project on her own. Sometimes he really does not like the way his brother treats people, especially people who do not live in their neighborhood.

"I'm sorry that you have to work with my brother. He is of the lazy kind."

That really is all he is going to say to this girl. He does not really know what else he could possibly say to her, and he knows that she probably does not want to talk to him any longer anyway. Because let's face the facts: who would? Nobody in their right mind, at least.

And to his absolute surprise, the nice girl named Cindy giggles at his comments and even gives him a smile. He cannot understand what he apparently did right to deserve this. He thought he was being completely moronic. Maybe she is a little geeky like him, which would be nice. The people his brother hangs out with really do not understand him.

"Ah yes, most 09-ers are. Of the lazy kind, I mean."

He smiles at this, even though this comment is not friendly to his brother and his friends. He does not feel insulted by it, and that is really all there is to it. At this moment, he does not care if his brother would feel insulted, because he is hoping he can finally make a friend.

"You seem to know exactly what my brother is like. So, I'm really sorry, but I don't think he will be of a lot of use with your project. But I can help, if you want me too."

He feels like such a dork for offering to help her. It is the only way he can make friends, by helping them with their homework. He has nothing interesting for them otherwise.

Who would want a friend like him? A friend who does not even like to shake hands with someone, in fear of having yet another flashback. A friend who does not know how to act around people, causing some inappropriate behavior according to Dick – although he does not call it inappropriate behavior, because he doubts Dick can even pronounce that. A friend who is no use besides the brains for your homework assignments. That is him, the brain.

"I can't let you do all of the work your brother is supposed to do."

He does not really get this girl. Nobody he knows would have any problems with him doing the work Dick is supposed to be doing. Why would she care so much? Really, he just does not understand. Maybe he is just too used to him being second to Dick all of the time.

He thinks if it had been any other person in this school, they would have accepted his offer to help right away, because nobody cares about other people around here. It's just about getting good grades with the lowest amount of work possible. He likes the fact that she is not like that; that she still cares about other people. He hopes he can be friends with her.

"Really, it is no big deal. It's not like it's the first time I'd have to help out."

Explaining to her why it does not matter to him might not be really smart of him. Now she is probably going to pity him, and he really hates being pitied. Really, he can handle everything that comes his way by himself. He would like to have friends with him, but he knows that is not going to happen. He is going to have to solve this all by himself.

That is why he never asks his father's help. That is why he never tells someone about what really happens at baseball practice. He does not want to be looked upon with pity and shame, which he is sure of that his father will do if he ever finds out about it.

"Fine, you've persuaded me. Do you have time right now to work on this project at my house? Don't worry, I promise it will be fun, being in the 02-neighborhood."

He smiles at that, because really, he knows people who live in another part of town really are not that different. They don't bite, or other things that are equally crazy. He thinks it just might be refreshing or interesting to see what families are like there. Maybe they actually have caring mothers and fathers there, something he would really like to have.

"Yeah, sure. I'll just cancel baseball practice. I'm not in the mood for that anyway."

This gives him an excuse not to go to little league practice. Any missed training is another day he can breathe a little easier, so he just likes Cindy even more for suggesting this particular day, even though she has no clue what is really going on with him. Nobody has.

One less day of those eyes and those hands, and he really likes it. One less day of showering for hours on end. One more day of breathing, and he really likes it. One possibility of finally making a friend. Really, he does not mind canceling the practice at all.

"Are you sure about that? Because tomorrow could work just as fine for me."

Is he sure about avoiding the creepy man who wants to do things to him? When he states it like that, it sounds kind of ridiculous. He desperately tries to avoid him, and this is an opportunity; he will not let it go to waste. He really wants this chance for a day off.

His next practice is not going to be until next week, because his father is dumping him at his mother's place this weekend, and he cannot make it to the game from there. He has a whole week to breathe, a whole week in which it is not needed to shower obsessively, a whole week without those hands that make him want to throw up his breakfast and lunch.

"No really, I don't need to go and practice obsessively, today is fine."

She smiles at this and shrugs her shoulders. He grins at her because she gave him a chance to breathe and he likes her for that. He wants to be her friend because of that.

He watches her walk towards the doors, smiles, and follows her. He grins again as he opens the door for her, because he likes the way she giggles when he does that. He thinks he is going to like working with her. He thinks he really wants her to be his friend.

His heart stops for a few seconds when he sees Dick and his crew approaching. He really does not want them to ruin this, because if there is anything Dick is good at, it is ruining every chance at friendship his little brother has. He does not want Dick to hurt Cindy.

"Hey Beav, who's the chick? You finally got yourself a girlfriend? I'm proud of you."

It is too late to help her out now, he knows this. He shoots her an apologetic look, but she just smiles at this. He hopes she knows what she is trying to do, because he has seen the way his brother treats 02-er girls before, and it really is not how anyone should be treated.

Dick treats those girls like they don't matter, just because they were born in a different zip code. It is a stupid reason, in his opinion, but it is the only reason Dick has. But then again, his brother has never been the smartest tool in the shed. If only people would see.

Most of the people his big brother hangs out with are too blinded by the money – and the white teeth, he thinks sometimes – to see what Dick really is like. And if they are not blinded by that, they are just exactly the same themselves. Really, there are not a lot of people who Dick hangs out with that he likes. Maybe Duncan Kane and Logan Echolls, but besides that, Dick's friends are just a bunch of mindless rich morons, and he hates them.

"So I guess you are the infamous Richard Casablancas junior."

He really hopes that Cindy knows what she is doing, because his big brother does not take things like this lightly. He hopes she is prepared for being laughed at, or at least joked about constantly. He knows that is what is going to happen, he has seen it before. He always wants to stop Dick from doing this, but he just really does not know how.

"Dude, my reputation even reaches the 02-er computer nerd crowd. I am that hot."

He sees Logan's "girlfriend" Lilly Kane roll her eyes, and look at her friend Veronica, who is giggling behind her hand. At least some of the girls know what a moron Dick really is. He secretly grins at them and then looks back at Cindy, who is still smiling widely.

"Seriously Beavs, I thought that even you could do better than this, dude."

And there Dick goes again, ruining a possible friendship for his brother, ruining his attempt to be friends with the girl who is going to get him out of practice for this week, who is making him able to breathe more easily for another week. He is so sick of taking Dick's crap.

Every single time Dick has done this, he just stood by from the sidelines and watched people get hurt because his brother is an inconsiderate asshole. He cannot just sit by from the sidelines again and watch Cindy get hurt. This time, he has to say something.

"One: my name is Cassidy, not Beaver. Two: the girl you call "this" has a name too. Three: I was going to help her with your English project, because you are probably too lazy to do it anyway, but now I think we are just going to erase your name from it. Goodbye Dickhead."

He watches everyone's reactions to this carefully. He sees Lilly, Veronica, Logan and Duncan laugh loudly at his comments, and he feels a little proud of himself. He does not care about the rest of Dick's mindless friends. He is glad when he sees a smile on Cindy's face.

He motions to Cindy that they should leave, because he thinks that he rather likes making a dramatic exit now, before Dick understands what he has been saying about him. She nods and walks towards the bus stop, with him on her heels. He has to get away from Dick fast, because he does not want to be there when everything gets through to him. That will get ugly.

They manage to catch the bus just in time, and he is happy for it, because he can see Dick coming around the corner. He sits down next to Cindy and smiles at her.

"So, what is the project about? I forgot to ask that with all of the things happening."

She laughs loudly, and he likes it a lot, and he thinks he has finally made a friend.

**AN: I know I must seem crazy. I just love Cassidy and Mac all the way. Cassidy and Cindy. See, even the names match… LOL**


	2. Pilot

Us Against The World

Summary: What if he wasn't alone? What if there was a reason for him to stay? What if it had been Mac and Cassidy against the world all along? What if Cassidy never needed to turn into Beaver? AU: Follows the show. MacCass. M for content

Disclaimer: The genius that is RT owns everything, except for this idea.

Chapter one: Pilot 

He is almost too late for school, and he knows it, so he rushes towards the school. He sees people leaving from the flagpole and he is curious, so he goes over to take a look, and finds Veronica Mars cutting off an African-American guy from the flagpole with a knife. So that's what the crowd was looking at. Really, that's typical Dick and moron friends behavior.

He watches Veronica rush to class immediately after she cuts the guy down, and he notices that the guy appears to have no idea what he should do right now. He has to help him now, because he seems like him before he became friends with Cindy a few years ago: lonely.

"Do you need some help? Neptune High is really a blast on first days."

The guy looks at him and nods. He sees a bag on the ground a few feet away from the flagpole, out of reach for the guy on the pole, but within reach for him. He grabs the bag and hands it to him, smiling all the while. The guy really seems relieved by finally having his stuff again. It is definitely not nothing, getting taped to the flagpole on your first day here.

"Thanks for helping, I'm Wallace Fennel. Do you by any chance know the men's bathroom?"

If this Wallace guy had not been embarrassed enough, he thinks. He wonders who did this to him, knowing it probably wasn't his brother, because Dick lacks the imagination for this. It was probably one of the guys from the PCH bike club, because they're easy to piss off.

He knows that by his own experience. Dick has pissed them off a lot of times, and through some strange reasoning he always gets pushed against a wall for it. It's typical.

"Sure, it's no problem. I'm Cassidy, and I will be your tour guide for today."

Wallace laughs at this and so does he. He turns his back to him, so he has the chance to at least put a shirt on or something. When he turns back, he motions for Wallace to follow him inside the school to the men's bathroom. He opens the door and motions the freshmen in there out, because Wallace probably does not need any more embarrassment today.

While his new potential friend gets dressed, he checks his cell phone for messages. He has only one message, and it is from Cindy, asking him where he was before school started. He responds by texting her that he has been helping a new guy, and that he will tell her the whole story at lunch. Because really, he does not want to explain this via message.

"All done. And one more favor to ask you: where is Science class from Mr. Wu?"

Mister Wu, the infamous Asian teacher who is rumored to be gay. He is an excellent science teacher, he hears, but there are rumors about him that make the rumors about Veronica Mars seem like some petty little girl gossip. He finds it stupid, but it's what his schoolmates do. It is just the way they are at Neptune High. Even though most of the students have money enough to entertain themselves with somehow, they find gossiping about their fellow schoolmates much more interesting. So they spend their time doing that, and other kids are the victims.

Like Veronica Mars for example, or Cindy, or even himself. Really, if half of the things he had heard about himself were true, he would be a closet homosexual, but he would have raped half the girls in elementary school anyway. His schoolmates were, and are, just that sick.

"Just follow me there. Wu likes me, so he'll believe me when I tell him why you're late."

Wallace looks at him with a look that tells him he does not understand, but he does not really want to explain the corruptness of Neptune to this guy on his first day. Really, it is nice to have someone here who is not corrupted by the world yet. Like he was before – never mind.

He does not want to think about that. He wants to breathe, because those weakly practices have ended long ago, and he does not want to remember them. Not that it works, because he wakes up in nightmares more and more often. He cannot believe he still has not told Cindy about the reason for the distance that still exists. He just cannot tell her, he just can't.

Wallace follows him out of the bathroom and smiles. He smiles back at him, a little insecure, but also a little bit glad. Because he just might have made himself a new friend.

---Lunchtime---

He is sitting at the same table he always sits at, with the same girl he always sits with. Of course, it is Cindy. As usual, they are enjoying their lunch together, since they do not see a lot of each other during their classes. He is a sophomore, and she is a junior. It is unfortunate for the both of them that they do not get to hang out during class, but fortunate for the teachers.

"Why is that guy looking at our table like that," Cindy asks him.

He looks around to see the guy she is talking about, and finds out it is Wallace, the guy he helped before school. Cindy probably does not know him yet, and maybe he can have a little fun with that, because you can joke around with Cindy. She likes it, and he knows this, because he has teased or joked around with her a lot over the last three years. He really likes the fact that they have been friends for around three years now. It makes him smile.

"Maybe he wants to ask for your number," he decides to tease her.

The possibility of Wallace asking for Cindy's phone number seems weird to her, probably just as weird as it seems to him. Guys do not ask her phone number. Most guys do not talk to her at all, not even if they need help with their precious laptop. Their egos are much too big to ask a girl for help. He does not have any issues with asking her for help himself, but then again, he is really not like most guys, he knows. No, he cannot flash back to that again.

"Yes, because I'm the object of any guys' fantasy," she sarcastically responds.

And just like that, he does not really know what to say anymore. He has always been a little queasy around subjects like this. Every time a subject connected to sex – or something similar – comes up in a conversation, he tries to skip around it. He just finds it disgusting, and he really does not want to talk about it, so he avoids it the best he possibly can.

"I'll confirm that with my dearest brother Dick," he says in faked lighthearted tone.

He hopes this will bring an end to this uncomfortable subject, because he wants to breathe. He wants to keep thinking about something else, so he can sleep easily tonight. He does not want to feel dirty again, because that is how thinking about it makes him feel every single time.

"… Who certainly lives up to his name," she teasingly responds.

The color of his face must have changed; he must have gone pale at this. He feels so disgusted by the images that are going through his head at this moment. His big brother and Cindy together, and hands touching him in places, and eyes, and baseball practices, and a voice saying that this will be their little secret, and the voice telling him that he is a great boy. Oh no, no, he has to get rid of this, because it is making him physically sick. Oh no, please no.

"Don't tell me that you and Dick…" he manages to get out between his thoughts.

Oh, please don't tell him that his only real friend betrayed him, because that is what Cindy and Dick together would be. She has always stuck with him about how horrid a brother Dick is, and now she insinuates that there is something between them. His thoughts will be permanently stuck in the wrong place, somewhere deeper down than the gutter.

"Oh frak no," Cindy then exclaims. "I mean that he is a Dick. You have a dirty mind Cass."

Just like that, he can breathe a little easier. At least, there are no more images of Dick and Cindy together in his head. The other images still do not disappear, but he has gotten used to that a long time ago. That does not mean he likes it, just that he is already used to it. It is impossible to not get used to these things if it happens to you constantly.

"And it's a joy to everyone," he then says to keep the conversation lighthearted.

He just used a stupid comment he has heard his brother say from time to time. Maybe it is a sign that he is more like his brother than he wants to believe. Oh, please do not let that be the case, because he does not even want to be more like his brother. It does not matter that his father wants him to be more like Dick. He just does not like how his brother acts.

"You have been spending too much time around your brother again," Cindy says, confirming his suspicions. "We need to un-Dick you right now… Frak, that sounds so wrong."

He laughs at this, even though he is a little uncomfortable with the turn this conversation has just taken. He really does not want to spend his time talking about dick, in whatever meaning possible. He feels no need to discuss these things. He hopes it will be over soon.

"Yes, that does sound wrong Cindy," Cassidy therefore replies in a teasing voice. "Maybe you have been spending too much time around me lately."

She laughs loudly at this and it makes him smile too, because he likes the way things are right this moment. He likes that they are spending a lot of time together, because there are no other people who he would rather spend his time with. Not that he has options, but even if he had options, he would rather hang out with her. He just hopes she feels the same.

"It's never too much time spent with you," she then says shyly.

Oh, this is so great. He realizes he sounds like a seventh grader with a crush, but he likes that she feels the same way. He really likes being her friend, and he is just glad it is the same with her. She is the first real friend he ever had for such a long time. He is happy.

"Stop it, you'll make me blush," he says with a big smile on his face.

He can really feel that he is starting to blush, because no girl has told him that before. He did not mind that before, because he is really uncomfortable around most girls. He is really uncomfortable around everyone. But he must not think of the reason for that; he has to get those thoughts out of his head for good, but he simply does not know how to do that.

"Good, then I won't be the only one," Cindy responds. "I can't believe I said that."

She seems to be looking like she feels a little awkward, but he does not want her to feel weird about it, because he likes Cindy. She really is an amazing friend, especially for a guy like him, who could never keep a friend before her. She is his best friend in the entire world, and he knows how childish that sounds. But he never got to use the BFF-terms before.

"I'll edit my comment, because it would have been Dick-like," he then teases her.

This conversation seems to be about inventing new words that have to do with his big brother Dick. They made up the verb un-Dicking, and now the adjective Dick-like. If they keep going like this, they could just as well make up a whole new language. It would be cool to mock Dick with that, but it still sounds a little childish in his ears. But it also sounds fun.

"Really, your brother needs an ego-deflator," she continues to joke.

Maybe him and Cindy can build some kind of machine to do it for them, because that is going to be a tiring job to do with just the two of them. Dick's ego is so big, he is going to need a constant ego-deflator, and he really does not have the time for that, and he doubts that Cindy has the time to help him. Not even Veronica Mars has enough time to help them, because she is a master at deflating ego's, especially ego's of 09-ers. He has seen that a few times.

"That he does," he agrees with her. "Hey, I think he is coming over to ask your number."

He notices Wallace walking closer to their table, and it is an easy way to get the subject away from his annoying older brother, who gets too much attention anyway. From everyone besides Cindy, and he would prefer to keep it that way. He is not jealous, but he really would not like losing his only friend to his brother. His brother has so much already, and he has not.

"Cass, stop joking about that, it's not funny," Cindy insists on changing the topic.

He thinks it is rather funny, but he will stop talking about it now, mainly because he does not want to fight with her, and because Wallace is now coming over to their table anyway. He thinks it is probably about this morning, a subject he hoped he would be able to avoid, because he did not do something special. He just helped a new student, big deal.

"Hey, thanks for helping me earlier," Wallace says with a sincere smile.

His fears – well, his real fears are about something completely different, but let us not get into that – are coming true because Wallace wants to talk about this morning. He guesses Cindy is already getting curious about why this guy is thanking him for something. He is going to have to explain everything now, and he does not think it is really that important.

"It's no big deal really," he says, trying his best to dismiss this subject as fast as possible.

"Still, thank you," Wallace continues. "You're one of the few people who dared to help."

And with that, the black boy leaves again, in the direction of Veronica Mars' table. He is going to need a little more bravery to thank her and talk to her. Cassidy knows this from experience, because he has tried to thank Veronica Mars before, but she just would not hear of it. She really has changed a lot over the last year. But that was not his point, really.

"Okay Cass, now you really have to spill," Cindy insists on knowing the whole story.

He really was hoping to avoid that. He was hoping he would not have to tell her this story, because he knows she will make it sound like he is some kind of hero, and he is the furthest from a hero. He is the quiet geek who does not dare to do a thing, and he knows it.

"He was taped to the flagpole this morning," he tells her. "Veronica Mars cut him off."

It is a little surprising that she did not hear about this already, because it is today's biggest gossip issue at Neptune High. But then again, Cindy has never been a part of Neptune's gossip group, so it is very probably that she has heard nothing about it yet. This means he is going to have to tell her the whole story, which he is not looking forward to.

"Who taped him to the flagpole," Cindy asks him. "And why?"

He is glad she is not focusing on his part of the story yet, because if that happens, he will never get out of this subject with a two lines long summary of events. It would have to be a description that is Tolstoy-worthy, at least around five pages long. Cindy is like that.

"PCH alert," he says, noticing Eli Navarro. "You know, I think they did it."

Glad with the distraction the bike club has offered, he looks at the surprised looks of the other students when they notice the entire club is out on the hunt for something. But it appears that the leader is coming over to their table, and the rest just follows him. Really, not good.

"That's probably true, but you're not getting out of it," she says. "How did you help the guy?"

As he mentioned before, a Tolstoy-worthy description is necessary before Cindy will drop this subject. He should just tell her and get it over with, but with the PCH Bike Club members coming to see them, he thinks he should pass for a little while longer. He has no need to get in trouble with the bike club, even though he knows Weevil will not harm the both of them.

"I just gave him his stuff and helped him to his class," he explains. "No big deal."

The brief summary is all Cindy is going to get before the bikers reach their table. He will tell her more about it later, but the timing just simply is not right at this moment.

"But you did what nobody dared to do," Cindy insists on calling him some kind of hero.

"If the PCH-ers don't come after me, I'll be happy enough Cin," he admits to her.

She gives him a look that tells him that he would have been crazy to think that. They have a deal with the leader of the club: they help him with his problems with studying, and he helps them with their problems with annoying 09-ers sometimes. This also means that they have the chance to be a little more rebellious against the group than the other students.

"Well isn't this cute, the nerd and the geek," Eli "Weevil" Navarro mocks.

Weevil will still mock them and annoy them, because he has an image to keep up – which Cindy and he find completely ridiculous, but it is what he wants – and they cannot be seen having a normal conversation together. It is not good for the leader of a gang to be seen with a few nerds, especially not if they help him with his homework and projects.

"I knew I should have knocked on wood," Cassidy jokes about his earlier comment.

Cindy smiles at this, but the bike club members do not seem so amused by this. He knows Weevil has his back with moments like this, but it still is a little scary at times, getting looks like these from the members of an infamous bike club. Especially because Weevil is totally unpredictable, so he never knows if he really has his back. So yeah, it can be scary.

"Eli, you should not try to intimidate the people who are going to help you – " Cindy says.

This is Cindy's subtle way of reminding him that he should not cross the line, or he is going to be in trouble with his homework later this week. If Weevil wants to pass algebra this year, he is going to have to stop talking now. He smiles, because it really always works.

"Didn't you get the memo," Eli asks them mockingly. "I am talking here."

It is very probable that this means that he got their point, which is always good, of course. It is nice to have a little power over the leader of a biker gang, but they are really not stupid enough to try and abuse this power, like someone like Dick would do.

"Fine Weevil, you go and be a bad boy now," Cindy continues to mock him.

"Seven sharp tonight," he tells Weevil just to remind him of his promise.

The Latino bike gang leader gives the both of them a very annoyed look, which warns them that they are about to cross the line he has created for them. They never go as far as to cross that line, they are not stupid. They don't want to experience the wrath of Weevil.

"Really, I thought the two of you would say something that makes sense," Weevil responds.

"Bad boys and their image," Cassidy jokes to Cindy as the bikers walk away.

They are bursting with laughter before the gang has reached Veronica Mars' table.

**---The hallway---**

"Did you see it," she asks. "Logan Echolls is in trouble because he had a bong in his locker."

He grins at the memory of the boy getting caught with that offensive thing. Logan really has been behaving like an inconsiderate psychotic asshole lately, so he really deserves it. At least, according to him he deserves what he is getting right now.

"I know, I saw the entire scene," he responds. "I wouldn't be surprised if Veronica Mars was behind the whole thing. I saw the way he was pointing at her the whole time."

He replays Veronica's non-bothered look when Logan tried to blame her. She gave him the innocent look, and she yawned at his accusations. They have been fighting constantly for the last year, and it is driving him crazy. They did not used to be like that.

"Why would Veronica do something like that," she asks in complete wonder.

"He's been a jackass lately," he shrugs. "I can't even believe they used to be friends."

Yes, as unbelievable as it may sound, Veronica and Logan were friends once; pretty good friends even, together with Lilly and Duncan Kane. His brother used to be mad about not being included in the group, but then everything changed about a year ago.

"Lilly's death changed them all," Cindy reminds him of that tale.

And then Lilly died, and that's when everything really changed, and Logan morphed into the jackass he pretends to be lately, and Veronica started acting like a bitch whenever Logan was around her. He thinks it is a little strange, but that was the way it happened.

"Maybe Veronica has some kind of plan, and getting back at Logan is just a plus," he thinks.

"That would be typical of her, yes," Cindy agrees with him.

Ever since Lilly died, Veronica Mars has been all about the revenge, except for the extremely rare times when the old Veronica, the girl she was before Lilly's death, comes out. Like the things that happened this morning, when she cut Wallace off the flagpole.

"I can see Logan wanting revenge for this," he tells her, knowing what Logan is like.

Logan has always been the kind of boy living by the "an eye for an eye" philosophy. When Lilly would be with another boy, he would match her by seeing another girl. He would always exactly match the things that others had done to him. Logan was just like that.

"Those two should kiss and get it over and done with," Cindy states her opinion.

Logan and Veronica getting together, he ponders. The sarcasm and banter would probably never end, because that is the way they seem to be communicating lately. He has seen them fight, and people say that there's a thin line between love and hate. They have known each other long before they started hating each other. Yeah, something could happen there.

"You think," he asks. "The two of them together? Clemmons would never get a rest."

He can imagine them getting sent to the office every single day, because they would play a prank on a PCH-er, or because they would make out during classes. They would be the types to drive vice-principal Clemmons completely mad within the month, he knows this.

"Yeah, that's true," Cindy admits with a smile on her face. "I like it."

Maybe it would make Vincent Clemmons, the elder Clemmons' son, who's in his grade, a little less arrogant. But he really doubts that will ever happen. The guy is just way too annoying, and way too caught up in the privileges of being the principal's son.

"Yeah, me too," he easily admits to her.

They share a smile and a high-five as they both walk to their respective classes. Sometimes Neptune is not really that bad, he grudgingly admits.

**AN:** Okay, so 2 people reviewed. Still, kudo's for that.

I thought I'd leave the readers with a nice little story. This idea is actually based on something Kyle Gallner himself said in a podcast at NPR. It was something about how things would not have been the same way if Mac and Cassidy had met each other earlier. So there it is.


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